Chapter Thirty Two

CW: intense bullying, light injury description, anger

Harry

Now that Draco's nest - our nest, as he insists I call it - is finished, we barely leave each others' sides. To classes, of course, but really only the first five minutes or so, before I lose it. And, honestly, lose it means lose it. Multiple times I've been unable to stop you from taking control and running to the greenhouse or astronomy tower, literally knocking students over and snagging a lot of attention on the way.

You honestly think I care?

Evidently not.

Anyway, we're almost always with Draco. If I had it my way, there would be no almost about it. But both Hermione and my teachers insist I at least try to go to class, even if I don't need too much help in most of them, especially defence, so needs must.

But sometimes, very occasionally, we're apart at other times. And now just happens to be one of them.

Draco's been stolen away by his friends on some Hogsmeade friendship date, quote-on-quote 'no partners - or mates - allowed'. Even if Blaise was just as furious about leaving Neville as I was about letting Draco go without me, Pansy and Theo were having absolutely none of it. So I had kissed Draco hard on the lips to spite them, then against his neck where my mark will go, and told him to come find me in Gryffindor as soon as he got back. He agreed (swooning slightly from the kiss, which made you absolutely chuffed - and you, Harry, don't go blaming everything on me) then they were off.

So now it's about 9pm, and I'm pacing up and down the common room. They said they would stay out for dinner, but surely they should be back by now.

"Harry, calm down, everything's going to be fine. They're probably just having a nice time. Come play chess with me, take your mind off it," Ron says from the chess table in the window.

Stupid human, doesn't know what it's like, should just fucking shut up for once-

"Eh, you'd just win anyway. I'm going to firecall the Slytherin common room, see if the others are back yet."

"You sure that's a good idea?" I scowl at Seamus, and he backs down, letting me head to the fireplace.

Some seventh year I don't know the name of answers the firecall, looking very confused. Probably never happens. Thinking about it, it would be weird to get a random firecall to the Gryffindor common room, but I really couldn't care less.

"Um, yes?"

"Any eighth years there?"

"Yeah, oi, Parkinson!" My heart drops. They're back. They're back, and Draco's not here. Something's wrong, something must be-

"Hey, Potter, what's going on?"

"Is Draco with you?" She laughs.

"Funny. As if he's not going to literally fly to you as soon as we let him."

"When did you get back?"

"Uh, about half an hour ago. Why?"

Harry...

I know.

I disconnect the firecall, completely ignoring my friends' questions about what's going on, and sprint out of the common room, blocking out the Fat Lady's objections. I try not to let panic rise in me. It'll be fine, I'll find him, and it'll be fine-

Fine? What the fuck do you mean fine? Our mate is missing-

Not exactly helpful right now, Eli.

I inhale deeply, desperately trying to calm myself down, but fail drastically. Because I can scent him. Hes close. And hes scared.

Run.

I do as you say, sprinting through the halls towards the source of the scent. And then there he is. And something inside me snaps.

I growl loudly, louder than before, louder than ever. The heads of the three boys pinning my mate against the stone wall of the corridor turn toward me. Their eyebrows are furrowed - confused, perhaps a bit scared. They glance at each other, deciding whether to be scared or not, and I take the opportunity to breathe.

They're perhaps sixth or seventh years. Two Gryffindors, one Ravenclaw. One of the former has his hand wrapped around my mate's throat, the others pinning a hand each against the wall. I feel blood start dripping through my clenched fists as my claws pierce the skin of my hands. Funny, I didn't know I could have claws in human form.

"Harry-" Draco whimpers, cut off when the hand around his throat tightens.

"Let him go." I don't recognise my voice.

"H-Harry, it's ok-kay, I'm f-fine, w-w-we were just-" I growl again, because he's lying to me. It's not just his fear I can smell now, but his tears. His blood. It's redder than I remember, falling down his face from where his head slammed against a wall and fists slammed against his nose. His shirt and cloak is soaked with it.

"Let him go!"

They're laughing. Merlin, I don't know how they dare. "Oh, come on, potter, it's-"

"Don't. Just put my mate down or I swear I will kill you." They've stopped laughing now. They look at each other again, more scared this time. Good. They should be fucking terrified.

"Dude, what the..." the second Gryffindor says, but they don't move. Fine. They asked for it.

I cross the hall in a second. My hand is wrapped around the 'leader's' throat in less, just like his was wrapped around my mate. Though I'm willing to bet my fortune I'm squeezing harder.

"P-Potter what the f-fuck, m-man..." my claws are digging into the sides of his neck, millimetres away from his carotid artery. The other two release my mate and start trying to tear me off him, to increasingly little success.

"H-Harry-" His voice hitches, and I realise my mate is crying. I turn away from the Gryffindor and throw my arms around my mate, who has collapsed on the floor. I don't think I can speak - I open my mouth to try and sooth him, but nothing happens. Instead I let my chest rumble in what I hope is a soothing way, confirmed when Draco relaxes against me.

Out of the corner of my eye I see the boys helping each other up, trying to stop the 'leader' from bleeding whilst simultaneously trying to run away. Placing Draco gently on the floor and pressing a kiss to his neck, I turn to beat the fucking life out of them. I'm not about to let them get away with hurting my mate.

As I stand up, though, Draco grabs my wrist.

"Don't kill them." I nod.

—-

True to my word - or nod, I suppose - I leave them alive. But they'll be in the infirmary for a while, even with Madam Pomfrey's skills.

Draco and I are now curled up in his nest, after taking a bath to allow both of us to calm down. Him from fear, me from anger. The nest makes that task easier. Merlin, I forget how perfect it is until I'm inside it again. It smells like us, like the ideal combination of our scents, and it's the perfect shape so we both fit in perfectly and we're supported but not constrained, and he can cuddle up to me, or I can spoon him, or he can lay on my chest, and it's soft and warm and perfect.

So yeah, I'm calm now. It's okay now.

Okay? Okay! There were bastards trying to hurt our mate! He was crying, he was bleeding, he was alone with them for half an hour. And you didn't even let me kill them-

Because our mate asked us not to-

He's shaking, Harry!

Oh. Oh, Merlin, you're right.

"Draco? Sweetheart, mate mine, are you okay?" He nods into my chest, but he's still quivering against me, and a little whine escapes his throat. "Uh, uh, no lying, darling."

"S-sorry."

"Oh, don't be sorry." I lift his head up with two fingers under his chin, and see that his eyes are brimmed with red and his cheeks are wet with tears. "I should be sorry, my love." I kiss his cheeks dry. "I'm sorry I came so late," I murmur in between kisses. "I'm sorry I let them hurt you. I'm sorry I hurt them back instead of helping you. I'm sorry I didn't realise people were hurting you before today. I'm sorry I've been such a bad dom-"

He cuts me off, pressing his hand over my mouth. I watch his eyes widen, surprised at himself, but he doesn't move his hand. He looks me in the eye, and Merlin he looks so sad it almost kills me, and shakes his head.

He's right, Harry. You're not bad. It's not your fault.

Thanks, E.

Draco slowly takes his hand from my mouth, keeping his eyes on mine.

"I promise, I won't let anything like that happen again. Ever."

"I know." His voice is small, quiet, shaking.

"But you have to promise that if it does, if I fail, you'll tell me. Please, Draco, you have to promise."

"I-I promise."

"Thank you, darling. Now, get some sleep. I'll see you in your dreams."

"And we can go home?" Whenever he calls it that, happiness blossoms in my chest. Because he knows it too. That wherever that place is, wherever it is we dream of, that it's home. Our home.

"Yes, mate mine. We'll go home."

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